A report by the Transition Security Initiative, a joint US-UK project, states that the accelerating global arms race hinders measures to combat climate change, as vital minerals essential for a sustainable future are being diverted to produce the latest military equipment.
The report states that the study, conducted by the project, revealed how the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) is stockpiling large quantities of vital minerals needed for a range of climate technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and battery storage. The study found that since US President Donald Trump earlier this year initiated the project he described as "big and beautiful," the Pentagon has allocated billions of dollars through the National Defense Stockpile program to secure an expanding list of vital minerals for use in military equipment, including precision-guided weapons, advanced communication systems, and an emerging arsenal of military technologies such as AI-powered autonomous warfare platforms.
Co-director of the Transition Security Initiative, Kaim Rogal, said: "The Pentagon's one-trillion-dollar budget supports a global infrastructure designed for American military dominance, not for national security." He added: "Using precious resources to feed an expanding military-industrial complex, instead of addressing the existential threat of the climate crisis, indicates the global insecurity caused by the Pentagon's strategy."
Military spending has increased in vast regions of the world in recent years amid rising tensions between the US and China and Russia's war against Ukraine. The report warns that this new arms race is hindering efforts to address the climate crisis, as several countries compete to extract vital minerals to secure the next generation of weapons.
The report notes that the study found the Pentagon is stockpiling at least 38 vital minerals, including lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements that form the basis of the energy transition, which could have devastating consequences for the climate system. It also found that the US Defense Department's Defense Logistics Agency plans to stockpile nearly 7,500 metric tons of cobalt. According to the report, this amount could be used to produce 80.2 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity, more than double the current energy storage capacity in the United States, and enough to produce nearly 100,000 electric vehicle batteries.
Co-author of the report, Laura Stutchin, said: "Every ton of cobalt or graphite stockpiled for the US Army could instead be used to make electric buses, large-scale energy storage, or other renewable technologies needed for the energy transition." She added: "These materials should be accelerating carbon removal, not feeding an insatiable war machine."
The US Department of Defense is the largest institutional source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, responsible for about 80% of emissions from US government projects and generating more pollution than entire countries.
Pentagon officials have long been concerned that the consequences of the climate crisis could hinder its activities by flooding coastal bases or destabilizing countries through population migration and extreme weather conditions.
The report explains how this new approach is being implemented, showing how the Pentagon's massive one-trillion-dollar annual budget and its influence across America and its economy allow it to "influence mineral supply chains, shape entire markets by absorbing risks, directing investments, and creating demand signals that build strategic industrial capacity for military purposes."
Source: "The Guardian".
